the house on the hill
by queen-sheep
Summary: The top of a house rose into view before, emerging for breath like a creature from the sea. It looked nothing like the shining childhood home from Luna's memories, which were full of sun and laughter and herbs.


_For QLFC S6R9_

 _Prompt: Write a story about Luna Lovegood_

 _Optional prompts: (scenario) an argument over what the best colour is, (dialogue) "It's so good to be home.", (foreign word) hostina_

Luna Lovegood moves into a new house with her husband and kids and has a welcoming party

* * *

Luna climbed the last stretch of hill, relishing the burn of her calves and the crisp air filling her lungs. It had been a particularly long and cold winter, and despite the fact that it was April already, the weather was stubbornly clinging to rainy days and cloudy skies.

Before her, the top of a house rose into view, emerging for breath like a creature from the sea. The word 'house' was a bit of a stretch though. It was more like a ramshackle hut, held together over all these years through sheer willpower alone. Now that it's sole occupant was missing, it seemed to have collapsed in on itself. It's sides sagged and bulged every which way and the material of the house was dirtied and worn down. It looked nothing like the shining childhood home from her memories, which were full of sun and laughter and herbs.

Luna heard footsteps from behind her before an arm wrapped around her shoulder and a small kiss was pressed to her temple. Luna leaned into the warm body, feeling a bone-deep exhaustion settle within herself.

"How are you doing?" Rolf asked quietly.

Luna paused, considering. "I'm fine," she said finally, sighing.

It had been mere days since her father's funeral, and she was still reeling from the loss. She barely remembered anything about it, just a dark, grey morning and the sea of black, as well as droning voices and tossed flowers. A sizeable crowd had come to see him one last time, and Luna's heart swelled once again at the outpouring of support from not only her closest friends, but the larger wizarding community as well.

At the end of it all, Hermione had approached her with a gentle hug and a single sheet of paper. "Xenophilius left all his property to you," she explained. "It's all written here in his will. Don't worry about anything—I've taken care of all the legal aspects for you."

It was this piece of paper that was now clutched in Luna's hand.

"Shall we take a look?" Rolf suggested.

Luna braced herself, and nodded.

...

Lorcan and Lysander sprinted up the hill, leaving Luna and Rolf to lag far behind them. They were at the age now where they had more energy than they knew what to do with so Luna was grateful that were out of the house. The two of them disappeared over the top of hill, their contagious laughter the only sound emerging from behind it.

Despite herself, Luna's mouth twitched into a smile. Rolf glanced over at her and caught her hand in his, twining them together to swing loosely in between them.

The house was beginning to come together. It had taken a week to ensure that the structural integrity of the house would hold, but now that that was all set, they wanted to let the boys explore the house and the surrounding forest around it. Luna also knew there was a small creek at the foot of the hill behind the house that the boys would be delighted by, but she would let them discover it on their own.

When emerged over the top, they found the door to the house blown wide open and the beginnings of an argument starting to brew. Luna and Rolf exchanged a glance, and then hurried in through the door.

"The colour of the walls should be yellow," Lorcan was saying, gesturing to the old and yellowed wall of the living room.

"A living room wall can't be _yellow_ ," Lysander said. "It's a place where you come to relax. The walls have to be either white or light grey."

Lorcan rolled his eyes. "White is so boring. Next."

When it looked like Lysander was going to tackle his brother to the ground, Luna stepped in between them.

"Boys," she said, "is that any way to resolve a disagreement?"

The two of them had the good sense to look ashamed of themselves. Rolf, leaning by the open doorway, smiled wryly at the three of them. "Let's take a family vote," he suggested instead.

The final tally was an even split. Rolf turned to Luna, murmuring, "I knew we should've had one more kid."

Luna laughed at that. "Here's another suggestion," she said. "Why don't we do half yellow, half white?"

Lorcan considered the proposition, then shrugged. "Fine by me," he said. "I just wanted a little bit of colour at least."

Lysander hummed thoughtfully. "We could do geometric shapes," he muttered under his breath. "A modern aesthetic."

He then turned to them and nodded. "Yes, that works as well."

Luna clapped. "Perfect!"

The living room decided, the boys ran off again to determine which room would be theirs. The house had not yet come together, but with her husband and children inside it, it was already feeling more and more like the home she remembered.

"I think," Luna said thoughtfully, "after this, we should host a _hostina_. A feast, in the words of the Czech."

Rolf wrapped his arms around her waist and grinned down at her, his eyes twinkling. "That sounds like a fantastic idea, love. A feast it is."

…

After a near-fatal disaster in the kitchen, Luna was relegated to decorations.

Luna didn't mind though. She made paper flowers and little hats and necklaces for her guests in the newly painted living room. Outside, the sky brightened and dimmed as the day approached evening.

Then came a knock on the door. Luna blinked and check the clock hung above the mantle. Was it 7pm already? No, it was still early.

Luna pulled open the door, and on her doorstep stood the Weasley family.

"Hullo!" Hermione said, beaming. She pressed a gift basket in Luna's hands with all sorts of little goodies, packaged nicely with a bow on top.

"Welcome!" Luna said, beaming. Of course Hermione was early. "Please, come in. The food is still being cooked, but please make yourself at home."

Rolf popped his head out of the kitchen to yell out a quick hello, before disappearing again.

"Shall I help out?" Hermione asked, stepping past Luna and into the house.

Ron and Rose shared a mutual look of horror. "I'll go make sure she doesn't step a foot into the kitchen," Ron said to Luna. "We wouldn't want your newly redone house to burn to the ground."

He gave her a quick, one-armed embrace before flying past her after his wife. Rose took off her shoes neatly and hugged Luna around the waist as well before running off to find the twins.

Only moments later, another knock came from the door, and then a veritable flood of people started streaming in. There was Neville and Hannah, who was six months pregnant and waddling her way around. George and Angelina stopped by to say hi as well, with little Freddie looking scuffed and dirty already. From Rolf's side of the family came Newt and Porpentina, hands full of home-cooked food. The Patil twins, Dean and Seamus, Terry Boot—even Professor McGonagall stopped by at some point.

The food came out, to lots of _oohs_ and _ahhs_. Rolf stood over the table proudly, chatting to the people who came up to compliment him and the boys. The house was full to bursting at this point and Luna couldn't be happier.

Within the hustle and bustle, a familiar voice rang out from behind her. "Hello, Luna!" said Harry.

Luna turned and brightened considerably. "Harry!" she said.

The two embraced. Luna leaned back to regard him. His cheeks were plump and red and his eyes were positively twinkling. He was so unlike the scrawny boy she had met all those years ago. They had all changed for the better, and Luna was glad to see it.

"You look well," he offered. "Thank you for inviting us all."

"You look great as well," Luna said, feeling a quiet happiness swell in her chest. "Thank _you_ for coming. I know you must be busy with your new job and all."

Harry scratched his head sheepishly. "I don't know if 'busy' is the best way to describe it, but it's definitely a change from what I'm used to."

"For what it's worth, I think you'll be a wonderful author," Luna said.

"Thank you," Harry said graciously. "And your house looks amazing."

He gestured around the room, indicating the people, the furniture, and all the decor that Lysander had painstakingly placed around the room. But there were also her crafts tossed haphazardly around the room, and the crooked couch they'd been meaning to set straight. There was no room for sadness and heartbreak here—only love, affection, and the hope for a better future.

"It's so good to be home," Luna said, and she meant it.


End file.
